Herbert Morsley Wharton AM (born 1936) is an Indigenous Australian former stockman turned writer. Wharton began publishing poetry and yarn-like novels in his fifties, for which he is now recognised internationally.
Biography
Wharton is a Murri man: his maternal grandmother was Kooma and both grandfathers Irish. He was born in Cunnamulla, Queensland in 1936.
Wharton and his work have been recognised in a number of ways. In 2012, Wharton received the 'Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature': a $50,000 award for eminent writers who have made outstanding and lifelong contributions to Australian literature. In 2013, Wharton was a recipient of the Queensland Greats Awards. In the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours, Wharton was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for "significant service to the literary arts, to poetry, and to the Indigenous community".
The Fryer Library houses the Herb Wharton manuscript collection which contains working and completed drafts of writings, poetry (published and unpublished), correspondence, diaries, speeches, taped video and audio interviews, and miscellaneous notes.
Works
Novels
- Unbranded (UQP, 1992) ISBN 0-7022-2444-8
- Yumba Days (UQP, 1999) ISBN 978-0-7022-3113-1
Short stories
- Cattle Camp: Murri Drovers and their Stories (UQP, 1994)
- Where Ya Been Mate? (1996)
Poetry
- Kings With Empty Pockets (2003) ISBN 978-0-9581883-4-0 Review
- Imba (Listen): Tell You a Story (2003) ISBN 0-9581883-3-5
References
- "Profile: Herb Wharton". Australia Council. Archived from the original on 22 August 2006. Retrieved 1 February 2007.
- "Herb Wharton". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- "Unique Indigenous story teller awarded". Australia Council for the Arts. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- "2013 Queensland Greats recipients". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- "Herbert Morsley Wharton". Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- "Herb Wharton collection UQFL 212" (PDF). University of Queensland Library, Fryer Library. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- "An ungraded bush track" (PDF). Fryer Folios. 2 (1): 14–17. 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2014.